Falling Silently
by lyricaLVirtue
Summary: It was only one night, but it changed Troy Bolton forever. It left him broken, destroyed. She's the only person who can heal the pain that he carries with him and her name is Gabriella Montez. But they share a conflicted past, will he ever let her in?
1. Trailer

Falling Silently

Preview

Full Summary: Troy Bolton was broken, destroyed. Would he ever know the meaning of the word normal again? He hid, he didn't want anyone's help, he didn't want to hurt anyone else. But she, a girl who for some reason needed to hold onto him, fought his battle as long as she could. Would it be enough?

**He had everything**

Shows portrait of Troy and his basketball team winning State Championship

**And it all vanished in the matter of a second**

Troy crying

**It was difficult to find a new normal**

Troy throwing things in his room

**He blamed himself**

Troy sobs on his bed whispering, "Why?"

**And he had to start over**

Shows Troy entering new school

**And then there was her**

Shows Gabriella laughing with friends

**She could break him or she could help him**

Gabriella hands Troy a pencil

**But did he want her help?**

Shows Troy yelling "I don't need you!" as Gabriella cries

**Will she fight to bring him back?**

Shows Gabriella saying "But I need you."

**Will he ever be able to be the same boy as before?**

"It will never be the same! Don't you understand? It's all my fault," Troy yells. "I can't do this anymore."

"It'll be ok," Gabriella whispers as she caresses his face gently.

**FALLING SILENTLY**

**COMING SOON**

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	2. Pink Flowers and Bows

**Chapter 1: Pink Flowers and Bows Are All You Should Know**

_12 years ago…_

The sandbox. It sat there majestically. The soft artificial sand accumulated in sporadic piles. Red plastic shovels and royal blue buckets lay half-buried in it. The strong rays of the sun shined directly into the sandbox warming the sand as to give it a pleasant texture.

The little girl's eyes grew wide, eager to lay her hands on the luring toys. The other children participated in common playground activities during recess; tag, monkey in the middle, jump-rope. But the heat was unbearable today, and all she wanted to do was feel the tiny grains of sand slide in between her fingers as she attempted to form a castle just like the ones in her fairy tale books at home.

She smiled a wide grin, walking towards the vast sandbox, her pink dress flowing lightly with her subtle movements. She sat in the box and wrapped her small, fragile hand around the shovel and started scattering the sand. She laughed joyfully, pleased with herself.

"Leave me alone!" said one of the boys in her class. She looked up, interrupted from the construction of her beautiful castle. The boy was struggling, pulling away from two other boys. She frowned at the sight, disapproving of the quarrel.

"What's wrong, four-eyes?" The other boy said, grabbing at his glasses.

"Give them back!" he shrieked, attempting to chase them, but having trouble due to his lack of accurate vision. Gabriella stood up from her sandbox and made her way over to the boy holding the glasses tauntingly. "Please!" he called.

She casually walked up to him. She smiled, holding her hands behind her back and her dress swinging around her knees. The boy holding the glasses stopped, unsure of what Gabriella's intentions were. In the matter of a second, Gabriella crushed her foot on his as hard as she could and he dropped the glasses. The boy cried and called her a bunch of silly names but she didn't care. She brushed the sand off the glasses and skipped back to the boy who needed them.

"Here you go. Are you ok?" she asked as she handed him the glasses and he put them on. His vision came into focus.

"Yes, thank you," he said, flashing a brilliant smile at her. His front tooth was missing and she giggled.

"Want to be my friend?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes," he said as she grabbed his hand and led him back to the sandbox. "My name is Troy, what's yours?"

**LVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLV**

_Present Day, a Month before the start of Junior Year_

Gabriella: The first child of the day was a third grader; he was dyslexic. Reading and writing were a daunting challenge for him, and when he had attempted during class he just found himself humiliated. Gabriella grabbed a few of the poems to begin with; short and somewhat facile. The boy sat nervously, playing with his hands which were sweating. His plump cheeks were a light red and his dark hair was neatly combed by his loving mother.

"Hi, Bruce. How are you today, kiddo?" she asked, coaxingly. He immediately relaxed and smiled at his tutor.

It was this feeling that she appreciated so much. Helping someone who needed it. She worked at the Tutor Center this summer just as she had since the summer before she entered high school. Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, she came to aid several children with learning disabilities or who simply needed a few more hours to understand educational concepts. It was the look on the child's face when they understood something that they thought they would never be able to. It was when that light went off and they just knew. It was Bruce's smile when he realized that maybe he didn't have to be limited by his dyslexia.

"Hi, Gabriella!" he beamed.

"Alright, Bruce, today we're going to read a few poems. I know that mommy has been reading to you when she can, do you think that's helping?" she asked him.

"A bit. The letters always get confusing though," he frowned and she reached for his hand.

"It's ok, Bruce. Don't you worry; you can do this," she said, grabbing the first sheet of the stack of poems and putting it in front of him. He struggled with a few words, which she helped him through. He was showing significant improvement, since the first time he had come to the Tutor Center. She gave him a few encouraging remarks and Bruce read through the second poem swiftly.

"Gabriella, can I try writing now, please?" he asked, frustrated with the third poem.

"Sure, Bruce, but we have to go back to reading after. Practice makes perfect," she said as she got up to get him a freshly sharpened pencil and a sheet of notebook paper.

The shelves that usually housed several stacks of notebook paper had failed her. There wasn't a single sheet of paper. She frowned, scrutinizing the materials available. Gabriella made her way to the storage room where there would surely be some sort of stationary.

She twisted the handle and pulled it towards her, stepping inside. There was another person in there as well. And this wouldn't have bothered her if she hadn't recognized the person. His back was turned but his carefully sculpted muscles faced her, and the light brown hue in his hair identified him further. She shook her head, hesitantly. It couldn't be.

He turned around and sure enough, the face matched that of the one in her memory. Though this one was older, and that smile that had always been present in his features was completely hidden. His skin was seemed noticeably rougher. He had a scar running through his cheek and he wore glasses that he hadn't worn in several years. She stood in awe. He was not surprised. He didn't offer a greeting but simply walked past her as if he didn't know her. As if they had never been friends. As if he had never hurt her. As if he would never be the little boy that he was 12 years ago again.

"Troy," she whispered. She could hear her echo in the compact storage room.

Troy: It hurt to look at her. Pain stirred inside of him as her gorgeous brown eyes widened with longing, with sorrow, with memories. All he had wanted to do was hold her in his arms and call her his friend again. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't put her through that again. His return to Albuquerque would be a silent one, a hidden one. The Troy Bolton that everyone had known, had fallen. Guilt stained his every emotion. But he was cleverly trained to hide behind the carefully constructed facade he had put up many years ago. The facade that had destroyed whatever was between him and Gabriella. The only thing he had wanted to do was tell her. Tell her what happened. But now he had no right to. There was nothing tying them together anymore and inflicting this emotional pain on her was nothing but simply unfair.

And for this reason, he walked past her. As if he had not acknowledged her existence. As if they had never been friends. As if he had never hurt her. As if that day four years ago had never happened. The wind slapped his face as he went against it.

But if he had known all of this, why had he come here today? Why had he applied for a job at the Tutor Center, knowing Gabriella would be there? He never meant to hurt anyone. It was all his fault. And Gabriella, sweet, innocent Gabriella, would try to convince him otherwise, but he knew the blame fell on his shoulders. And so he walked with a heavy heart, and a heavy soul, and into his car, driving far away from her. He could still hear her soft whisper. _Troy. "_Gabriella," he said.

**Review if you want the next chapter. **


	3. All That You are is Broken Inside

**Chapter 2: All That You are is Broken Inside**

_9 years ago…Halloween_

Gabriella's eyes widened as Troy dumped the several varieties of delicious candy on the carpet of her room. He had double the amount she had for some odd reason. He had a large grin on his face that showed his brilliantly white teeth. Gabriella scooped the candy into her small, delicate hands and let it run through her fingers.

"We can share it," Troy offered courteously, something children his age had trouble doing. Gabriella smiled at her friend. He pushed some chocolate bars towards her.

"Thanks, Troy. You can have some of mine, too!" she beamed as she dumped her collection of treats into the pile.

"You look pretty, Gabriella," he said. She blushed as she fidgeted with her pink princess costume. The fake jewels on her tiara shined against the light. "If you're a princess, and I'm a prince, does that mean we're married?" he asked innocently.

Gabriella opened two ring pops and slipped one onto his finger. "Of course it does," she clarified, as she fixed her own. "I am glad that you're my prince, Troy," she said sweetly. Troy smiled in return and licked his ring pop.

"These taste yummy," he said. He then hugged her tightly showing sweet innocent affection.

**LVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLV**

**Troy:** He woke up, wanting to go back into an infinite sleep. A sleep where he would be gone from the world forever, and all he did was dream. Dream of beautiful things. Things that would lighten his world and make him happy. But Troy had learned that no matter how much you want something, the chances of it happening are slim. So he rose from his bed and unplugged his cell phone from its charger. He had 5 missed calls and two voicemails. He didn't need to confirm with his caller ID to know that it was her.

He listened to the voicemails, paying close attention to her voice. It broke occasionally, reflecting the hurt she felt. She had asked him why he had returned. She asked why he had ignored her. And how even though he had ignored her, she still wanted to see him. She had said that he was still her friend, even if he had denied her that years ago. The size of her heart was simply too much for him. He put the phone down before the second message was over and let a tear slide down his cheek.

How could he have been so selfish? He grabbed the blue binder from underneath his bed and opened it to the sixth page. The newspaper article. The headline that it read. The words and sentences and paragraphs that had been written about that night. That night that had the potential to be the best one of his life, but was ruined by one small fraction of a second. Troy slammed it shut and retrieved it to its spot. "Why?" he whispered, fighting back another tear.

_A week later…_

He threw several rocks into the pond, watching them sink slowly. The sun was starting to go down, giving away into a dark night. He was the only person at the park today. The whistle of the wind blowing his hair away from his face was the biggest comfort he could find. The grass brushed against his old blue jeans and he sat, thinking, contemplating everything. Was there a way of escaping this darkness? Could you ever stop night from coming?

He thought about his father and his mother and how much they loved him. About how much he loved them. He didn't want them to have to suffer with him. He thought about if he would ever be able to bring himself to play again? Would he be able to find a way to be normal? The answers to all of his questions scared him. And what would happen when he returned to East High after so long? Would people recognize him as the boy he was before? He thought about how difficult it would be to see Gabriella again. In the very same hallways he had destroyed her.

The grass rustled with what seemed like the sound of footsteps. He closed his eyes, hoping that no one was there. The last thing he desired was unwanted company. He felt a small, warm hand on his shoulder. It sent shivers down his spine as he recognized the owner of the hand. It was her. He turned and pushed away.

"Don't leave," she commanded and Troy stood still as stone, rooted to the ground. "Just listen to what I have to say," Gabriella pleaded. He managed to nod. "What you're doing, Troy Bolton, is unfair. You left me behind, disregarding the fact that I was always there for you. Whenever you needed anything, I was there to help. And you pushed me away. And now you're back. You decide to show up at the Tutor Center! Where you know I work. And why?" her tone was rising. Anger and hurt stirring in her eyes. Troy's expression changing into one of empathy. "So that you could do this to me again. Hurt me again? I just want to help you and you won't let me. I am willing to put it behind me and in the past just as long as I get my friend back. But it seems like you don't care about anyone but yourself," she said, shaking her head. She refused to cry.

Troy looked down at his feet, unable to form words. "I'll see you around, Troy," she whispered and turned her back on him.

He rose to his feet and moved towards her, grabbing her hand and turning her around. "Gabriella, I-," he began. But what was there to say? He knew what he wanted to say but it would bring her closer. And did he want that right now? "I'm sorry. I would take it all back if I could. But I can't. And I don't think I can be your friend again," he said, loosening his grip on her hand.

"You can take it back, Troy. You can fix it, you just don't want to," she said, holding onto his shoulders, slightly shaking him. "Why don't you want to?"

"Because it's too hard, Gabriella. It's too hard to let you get close to me again," he admitted, removing her hands from his shoulders and walking past her once more. A thousand knives stabbed into him. It hurt so terribly, but he just couldn't do it.

"I don't care," she whispered low enough so that he could not hear her.

**LVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLV**

**Mel: "**Mel, he's back," Gabriella said as she burst through the door of Melanie's room. Tears and mascara ran down her face. She stood in the center of the room, helpless. She sobbed quietly, holding her arms together. Mel pushed herself away from her desk and rose. She held Gabriella tightly and tried to stop her from shaking.

"Who's back?" she asked. Gabriella's abrupt breakdown had been entirely unexpected, and the fact that there was a male behind this was beyond her.

Gabriella took a breath before she could answer and mumbled into Mel's shoulder, "Troy," she said and moved away.

Mel's eyes widened in astonishment. "Are you sure?" Gabriella nodded. "Why is he back? You stay away from him, Gabriella. You have to be careful around him; he's a selfish bastard," Mel insulted. Gabriella didn't seem to agree with her though.

"I need to help him, Mel," Gabriella said. She was about to refute her when Gabriella continued explaining, "You don't understand; I know him. I know something's wrong and I know that I couldn't live with myself knowing he is hurting."

"Gabriella, he went on without you, knowing he had hurt you. You don't have to do this," she persuaded but Gabriella just cried a bit harder and sunk a bit more. "You do not need him to be happy. He deserves this. You do not need to help him."

"Yes, I do. Because he is my friend no matter what anyone says," she stated, sinking to the ground. Mel sat next to her and held her friend, calming her.

**Thanks for reading. Please review. Check out my other stories too. Thanks- LV**


	4. Falling or Flying

**Chapter 3: Falling or Flying**

The smell of the beer that had spilled onto the leather seats entered his nostrils. The boisterous laughs got louder and louder. The tall trophy clanked in the back seat after every road bump they didn't slow down at. One foot sunk deep into the accelerator. The wheels turned faster and slid down the street at a dangerous speed. The lights flashed, blinding him. And then the darkness took over. And it never left.

"Help me! Please!" He yelled.

"I don't know if I can." she replied, disappearing.

"You're the only one that can!" he called after her. He ran through the darkness, searching for her wildly. "Gabriella! Where are you?" He said, but there was no reply. "HELP ME! " Troy shrieked at the top of his lungs, tears of frustration streaming down his cheeks. He sat up in his bed, opening his eyes to complete darkness. It was only a dream. He stood panting violently, running his hands through his hair. He wiped the tears away and fought those that were threatening to leave his eyes. Pushing the covers away from him, he got up. It was only a dream. But it was more than that. It was a memory that manifested itself in his dreams repeatedly. When would it stop? When would he let himself heal from all this? "Help me," he whispered.

**Gabriella**: "What are you doing?!" Gabriella angrily stormed over to the grey table where Troy sat with Bruce. It was hard enough to see him there everyday, to have to feel that excruciating pain when he turned away from her; it was difficult enough to keep back the tears and to see that he didn't care. "I tutor Bruce! Not you!" She exclaimed.

"I don't see the problem with us both tutoring him, Gabriella. The little girl I usually tutor is on vacation this week," Troy said in a calm and seemingly mocking tone. Gabriella's small hands formed tight fists. "Why don't you sit?" he offered politely and Gabriella reluctantly obliged.

"Alright, Bruce, why don't we start with reading?" Troy suggested. Bruce nodded with a wide grin and quickly went off to collect a few books of his choice.

"Why are you doing this?" Gabriella took advantage of Bruce's absence to question Troy. After what he had said a mere two days ago, now he was attempting to build a substantial relationship. He had rejected her, he had ignored her, and now here he was sitting across from her with an impassive expression.

"I like helping out in the community." He replied

"You know that's not what I mean. Troy, you told me you didn't want anything to do with me. And now this?" She said. Troy did not respond. Gabriella grit her teeth and picked up her purse. "You know what? I'm taking today off." She rose from her chair.

Troy impulsively grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. "Don't go, please." He said pleadingly. Gabriella's expression grew into one of utter shock. The touch of his skin burned into her and the tired, worn look in his eyes made her sit. "I want to—Can we—We should be friends again." Troy said.

"We can try." She said softly. With a gentle smile, she placed her hand on top of his. Warmth stirred within him.

**Troy**: She's the only one who can assuage this pain. She's the only escape he has from this darkness, from this feeling of remorse and of melancholy. It'll probably be one of the most difficult things he has ever done: trying to rebuild a friendship that he had entirely destroyed. But sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. He owed everything to her. She cared even when he pushed her away. Even when he was rude and obnoxious, she saw past it. Gabriella saw past the façade, she saw his very essence. "Help me," he whispered once more. "You're all I have left."

_Two weeks later…_

The sun shined so brightly it threatened to melt his skin. He saw her sitting beside the freshly painted red bench, engulfed in the book she was reading. Her brown cascading curls fell onto her back and he smiled remembering how when they were younger he used to twirl pieces of it in his fingers.

Troy walked over to where she was. He threw the brown paper bag into her lap and took a seat in the warm green grass next to her. She jumped, surprised at his presence. "Open it," he said, motioning towards the bag. "It's not a dead frog or anything, I promise," he joked. Gabriella gave a small giggle remembering how when they were ten years old, they had sat in this very spot and she had opened a very similar paper bag to find a dead frog. She remembered having chased him around the playground, yelling obscenities at him because of the disturbing gift. "Sometime before I die would be nice," Troy said, snapping her back into reality.

"You have no patience," she pointed out and Troy shrugged accepting her insult. Gabriella closed her book and set it aside.

"It is my tragic flaw; I know." He said as she opened the bag. She carefully reached her hand inside and grabbed at the two objects that lay inside. Gabriella smiled as she realized what it was. Two ring pops.

"You actually remembered these?" She asked, tossing him one.

Troy unwrapped his. "Be thankful that it's not a dead frog and eat your ring pop, missy." He said. Gabriella laughed and began eating the candy as Troy attempted to put his on his finger. "Either they shrunk or my hand got bigger. I'm gonna go with the latter."

"You need to shed some pounds, chunky." Gabriella joked, playfully poking his stomach.

"Dead frog."

"Right." Gabriella said making a mental note to refrain from insults unless she wanted a dead frog on her lap again. "I feel like I'm eleven again. We used to do this all the time," she said.

"Why did we ever stop doing it?" He asked, laying into the grass, staring at the clouds as they floated over the sky forming different shapes and covering the blazing sun periodically.

"Allow me to refresh your memory. You became a big mean jock and couldn't be seen with people that were below you." Gabriella said as she lay back, too. Troy frowned at her accusation.

"Sorry about that, by the way. I was a tool." He said. Gabriella laughed. He smiled. "That one looks like a dinosaur." He said gesticulating towards the cloud. This moment, here with her, was everything to him. He wasn't there for her for so long, but he had a chance to fix that now. He had the opportunity to heal that deep wound. There was no erasing that night, there was no changing the facts. It would always be an integral part of him. But the pain could diminish with her help. Troy unsurely and carefully held her hand. She responded by squeezing it tightly. And that was all he needed. To know that she would be there for him. He just didn't want to hurt her again. He didn't want her to know the truth and the monster he really was.

"There's still time to fix it, though," she said, shaking him from his thoughts.

**Thanks for reading! Please review!--LV**


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